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Getting the right balance between parking availability and cost

There is a growing concern amongst UK motorists over the cost and availability of parking according to a recent survey by the RAC.

One of the top four concerns raised was parking fees, with 18% of the 1,714 drivers polled for the latest RAC Report on Motoring highlighting this as a problem. This has risen from 12% back in 2015.Overall, 84% of motorists surveyed reported that they feel that they are an "easy target" for local authorities to raise revenue through parking fines.

Anxiety over finding a parking space has also increased over the same period, from 8% to 14%, with concerns over the availability of parking in London being highest where 20% identified it as a significant issue.

RAC Chief Engineer, David Bizley, said: "Motorists are very clearly more concerned about the availability and cost of parking than they were 12 months ago. This is a worrying find as struggling to find somewhere to park, and then paying through the nose to do so, could have a very negative effect, both on individuals who rely on their cars to go about their daily lives and on businesses in our town centres whose viability affects the prosperity of our high streets."

A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: "Councils have to try and strike a balance when setting parking charges to ensure there are spaces available for everyone at all times of the day and we can keep traffic moving. If charges are too low, high street spaces can be filled by commuters, making it impossible for shoppers to park, and having a negative knock-on impact on local businesses."

Getting the right balance of parking costs versus availability is important as there is a growing demand for parking due to traffic increases on our roads. Recent figures from the Department for Transport (DFT) show that car traffic has increased by 0.7% to a record high of 249.5 billion vehicle miles.

So what can be done?

Optimising parking space usage and improving the efficiency of parking operations can help to address the concerns highlighted in the RAC Report. Clearview Intelligence is experienced in designing clever parking solutions - we know how to make car park management more efficient and the use of spaces more productive, making things a lot less stressful and easier for drivers.

Giving drivers advanced information, such as dynamic signage to show where spaces are available via the use of Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS) is key - not just at the car park entrance, but as soon as the driver/s arrive into the town/city. Combined with journey time data, this can provide invaluable information to the driver on car park space availability and how long it will take to reach that destination.

Our Insight software can monitor and manage the signage and information given to visitors, as well as providing real-time data and periodic reporting to the operator of the car park. Once a car park zone is full, the system can automatically change the information feed to drivers to send them to other zones where spaces still exist.

Providing the user with the information to find a space quickly and efficiently means traffic flows can be managed and queues into car parks can be controlled and minimised, thus reducing congestion. The live feed can also provide operators with information on developing situations such as formation of queues or patterns of use of designated bays.

Local authorities can help to minimise on-street and off-street parking issues by providing more efficient ways of guiding drivers to the nearest available spaces. Investment in innovative new technology to do this will prove to be the solution for future generations.

Contact us and let’s have a conversation about how we could improve your parking experience.